In a press conference held earlier this month, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that the recent train car derailment and subsequent fire in Palestine, Ohio, was, “100% preventable”. NTSB will continue their investigation of the incident over the next several months into the preventable causes to this devastating event, including: whether other protection should have been placed around the placards on the tank cars, existing inspection procedures, and prior accidents involving the hopper car that caused the accident, among several other factors. While the NTSB promises that safety is their priority, many residents in the Ohio town are now concerned about the air and water quality and how their overall health may be impacted. An article published by Freight Waves reports further on the derailment and the NTSB’s response.
Click here to read the article.